6 Healing Foods To Support Amazing Gut Health

Gut health has been a big focus as of late; as you begin to understand how big a part the gut plays in your overall health, learning what to do in order to support it becomes all the more important.

Your gut is a powerhouse when it comes to keeping you healthy, fighting against diseases, elevating your mood and so much more.

When I first began my transformation process, I walked in with serious food sensitivities and allergies. I would break out in hives after eating my favorites and could not for the life of me figure out why and while I didn’t go into anaphylactic shock, breaking out in itchy hives was really irritating and embarrassing.

This is when I began taking probiotics; I found that with the help of eating whole foods and these probiotics, I was able to really help mend my gut and eventually alleviated my allergies and sensitivities. This got me wondering more about probiotics and what part they play in our overall gut health – and then came across prebiotics.

Prebiotics are a nondigestible food ingredient that promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines. In simpler terms, they are the food the probiotics need.

It dawned on me that, if you are taking in live cultures, then they need to be sustained so that they can grow and thrive. With your probiotics thriving, your gut can then thrive and if your gut thrives, YOU can thrive.

If probiotics need prebiotics, how can I ensure that I feed my probiotics?

The good news is that you won’t need to go out and get a new supplement or do anything so different from what you are doing already to promote and maximize your healthy gut.

But, just in case you are not already eating prebiotic foods or don’t know what any of them are, here is aquick list of 6 foods you can begin incorporating today to support your gut supporting probiotics.

1. Raw Chicory

Raw chicory is one of the best prebiotic foods sources around, at nearly 65% fiber by weight. It tastes a little like coffee and is often used as a substitute because it doesn’t leave you feeling jittery or interfere with your sleep.

Not to be confused with the globe looking vegetable that you may have made spinach dip with. Jerusalem artichokes only taste like the normal artichoke and that is why they are called that. Otherwise, they look more like ginger than anything and are an excellent source of nutrients and health benefits and are wonderful prebiotics. They go well in salads and due to their low glycemic index, they are a great substitute for potatoes.

These are some of my favourite greens, as they are high in nutrients like vitamin K and A, calcium and iron. This is a great green for blood clotting and maintaining strong bones in the elderly and if that wasn’t enough, dandelion greens are great prebiotics. You can add them to a salad, sandwich, stew, soup, eat them blanched and even juice them. You can also have them in a tea.

Need another reason to love garlic, well this tubular doesn’t disappoint. Garlic is loaded with nutrients like manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C and selenium. I like to have garlic raw as a garnish, but you can also have it in guacamole, hummus and vegetable stir fry. If you don’t like garlic, onions, leeks, chives and scallions are great choices as well.

5. Banana

Bananas are knows as a great source of potassium and now as a great, easy and convenient prebiotic. Here is another reason to add bananas to your smoothies.

6. Raw Asparagus

I love to take asparagus in a juice, as this is the only way I can take it. It is easier to take it fermented, but also in a smoothie. They are also a great prebiotic source.

This subject is still very new to me, but the takeaway here is that prebiotics equal a happy gut. There are prebiotic supplements you can take as well and the most popular one out there is Prebiotin. I do believe however that youdon’t necessarily need to go the supplement route unless advised to do so by your doctor. You can simply start with the foods above to begin reaping the benefits of a happy gut.

As I learn more, I will be sharing more, but until then, do you know any other foods that are good sources of prebiotics? Share with us in the comments below!

Kavata Kithome is an advocate for living your best life, full of health and longevity. While working closely with gym owners and personal trainers, she was able to sculpt a well-rounded view of fitness and understands how to incorporate it with a healthy balanced diet. She is a regular contributor to the One More Step Lifestyle brand.

During my FitLife transformation, I lost 70 pounds! That's why I signed up for the protocol, but the most exciting result is that I found ME in the process. I had been hiding under a pile of pounds, self-doubt, and grief! FitLife changed my life and I knew I had to share it with others.

-Lynne, Longwood FL

I started with Fitlife back in 2011-2012…I wrote into Fitlife asking for an extreme amount of help. I was 300 pounds, with high cholesterol, and Drew helped me transform my life. I lost over 130 pounds and I no longer have high cholesterol. Not only did I lose weight, so did my husband, who lost over 70 pounds!